shot-button
E-paper E-paper
Home > News > World News > Article > China reports first Covid 19 death in more than a year

China reports first Covid-19 death in more than a year

Updated on: 20 March,2022 08:46 AM IST  |  Beijing
Agencies |

Both fatalities occurred in elderly patients and were the result of their underlying conditions, Jiao Yahui, an official with the National Health Commission, told a news briefing on Saturday. One of them had not been vaccinated for Covid-19, he said

China reports first Covid-19 death in more than a year

A man is tested as a measure against Covid-19 in a lockeddown neighbourhood after the detection of new cases in Shanghai. Pic/AFP

China's health authorities reported two Covid-19 deaths on Saturday, the first since January 2021, as the country battles its worst outbreak in two years driven by a surge in the highly transmissible Omicron variant. The deaths, both in northeastern Jilin province, bring the country's Coronavirus death toll to 4,638.


Both fatalities occurred in elderly patients and were the result of their underlying conditions, Jiao Yahui, an official with the National Health Commission, told a news briefing on Saturday. One of them had not been vaccinated for Covid-19, he said.


The majority of new 2,157 community transmissions reported Saturday came from Jilin. The province has imposed a travel ban, with people needing permission from police to travel across borders. Nationwide, China has reported more than 29,000 confirmed cases since the beginning of March.


It has pressed on with its tried-and-true policy of lockdowns and mass testing of millions of people as part of a successful, if burdensome, zero-Covid strategy since the initial outbreak in Wuhan in 2019. 

The country has seen relatively few infections from the virus so far because clusters are tamped down as quickly as they're discovered. The strategy has received popular support and prevented the large numbers of deaths seen in other countries, many of which have started to forgo any kind of social distancing measures.

46,88,13,060
Total number of cases Worldwide as of Saturday

60,95,415
Total no. of deaths worldwide

39,98,54,925
Patients recovered worldwide as of Saturday

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!

Register for FREE
to continue reading !

This is not a paywall.
However, your registration helps us understand your preferences better and enables us to provide insightful and credible journalism for all our readers.

Mid-Day Web Stories

Mid-Day Web Stories

This website uses cookie or similar technologies, to enhance your browsing experience and provide personalised recommendations. By continuing to use our website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. OK